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Activist Groups Hold Post-Election Demonstration In South Bend

Attendees of the Defend Democracy rally in South Bend on Wednesday, November 4, 2020.
Attendees of the Defend Democracy rally in South Bend on Wednesday, November 4, 2020.

Several groups gathered for a post-election demonstration in South Bend Wednesday night. Local chapters of the  Sunrise Movement, the  American Indian Movement and the  Northern Indiana Democratic Socialists of America demonstrated for what they called “the people’s agenda.”

Their demands include community control of police, expanding healthcare and unemployment relief and stopping racist attacks against minority groups. 

Paul Mishler of the  Michiana Alliance Against Racist and Political Repressionsays those demands are independent of who wins the election. 

“If Joseph Biden is the next president, we have an agenda. His election isn’t the end, it’s the beginning,” he said.

Alexa McCall attended the demonstration. She said with so much election anxiety, it’s nice to be around other people and feel a sense of solidarity. 

She also echoed the sentiment that the election was a beginning, rather than an end. 

“I guess another reason to come out physically is just to show that voting isn’t the end of it, that there’s work that needs to be done,” McCall said. 

Another protest in Indianapolis was postponed Wednesday night after at least one credible threat of armed violence.

Emma Atkinson is a reporter for WTIU and WFIU News and the anchor of regional newscasts for All Things Considered. She's originally from Champaign, Ill. and graduated from IU with a Bachelor's degree in journalism in 2019. Emma has previously worked as a reporter in Kampala, Uganda and Ketchikan, Alaska.